With New Space came the embrace of the small satellite revolution. Small satellites have begun to demonstrate their potential for U.S. military applications through the advent of missile tracking and communications. Large programs like the Space Development Agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture have allowed the U.S. military to begin to recognize this potential. A report by the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies calls on the U.S. military to enhance its space system capabilities and maintain space superiority by leveraging innovations in the small satellite domain. Small satellites are advantageous for their lower cost, faster production times, and the ability to be deployed at large scale. Proliferation allows for greater resilience, with sheer numbers replacing heritage redundancy methods. Commercial entities such as SpaceX have demonstrated the power of large constellations, including capabilities such as internet services or observation. These key capabilities, among others, urge the DOD to boost production rates, strengthen supply chains, and increase funding to support large-scale developments.
The embrace of small satellites for U.S. military purposes raises some important concerns regarding space systems cybersecurity. Small satellites are typically very low cost as compared to their larger counterparts. Low cost brings with it a less reliable and technologically advanced single satellite. The lecture material presented over the last seven weeks has demonstrated how even the largest satellite entities, such as Viasat, have been victims of space cyber attacks. With a smaller, and less advanced satellite in orbit, I would argue that these spacecraft are even less resilient to space cyber attacks, as these developments need to keep costs at a minimum. Developers of these types of systems likely understand that a single satellite may become prey to a cyber attack, however, they rely on the other satellites in the constellation to fulfill the end goal. Perhaps relying on the remaining spacecraft is acceptable for most forms of cyber attacks, including jamming. Other types of attacks, such as eavesdropping may not be as acceptable, so it will be crucial for the DOD to force space cyber requirements onto their contractors as the small satellite revolution continues to progress.